All posts tagged ‘green lantern’

As the spate of comic movies continue to hit the big screen, we in the fanboy universe start to naturally speculate on who we’d like to see get the big-screen treatment next. While DC has lagged behind Marvel in the volume and quality of live-action comic-based films (though their animated ones are excellent for the most part), there are some heroes that could use the big-screen treatment, even if the production companies consider them second-tier characters, such as Aquaman.

As many of you may know from following me on Twitter, I have an unnatural love for all things Aquaman. While he’s not my favorite comic hero, he’s certainly at the top of my list in the DC Universe. I can’t really explain why. Maybe it’s the hook on his hand, maybe it’s the underwater adventures that no other hero really has. Maybe it’s because he’s not Namor. Either way, as an Aquaman fan I’d love to see DC try to get an Aquaman movie made, but that probably will never become a reality. Here’s ten reasons why DC and Warner Bros. will probably never produce an Aquaman movie.

1. It would require a massive budget.

Considering that most of Aquaman’s world is underwater, and since Warner Bros. already stated he is a second tier character, there is no way he’d get the money required for all those underwater effects. We’re talking Waterworld money, in the $200 million range or more. Unless a major director with a serious love for our hook-handed hero gets involved, which is always possible. Continue Reading “10 Reasons There Won’t Ever Be an Aquaman Movie” »

In the age of kids networks, YouTube, and 24 hour cartoon networks, you may think that the days of the Saturday morning cartoon ritual would be long gone, or at least a moot point. The good news is that this is far from true.

I remember waking early Saturday mornings and quietly creeping into the living room, turning on the TV — making sure to keep the volume low so as not to wake up anyone else in the house — getting my bowl of Captain Crunch, and watching The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour, Sigmund and The Sea Monsters, and, of course — my favorite —The Super Friends.

The cartoons are different, but my son still does the same thing, referring to Saturday morning as his “me time.” This is the time when he gets to watch his favorite cartoons — unfettered by parents and sister — while leisurely munching on his favorite breakfast cereal. The more things change…

Surprisingly, many cartoons still premiere on Saturday mornings. This Saturday (March 3rd) Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation, and DC Entertainment will be premiering the hour long DC Nation at 10AM (EST/PST).

Centered around the new Green Lantern: The Animated Series and the second season of Young Justice, DC Nation will also bundle in special content and animated shorts featuring “beloved and legendary heroes — as well as some lesser-known cult favorites” from the pages of DC Comics. The shorts are by some of the top names in animation, including Aardman Studios (Wallace and Gromit), applying its famous stop-motion clay animation techniques to create some remarkable takes on the well known characters.

GeekDad had the rare opportunity for a quick phone interview with the very busy Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer and writer extraordinaire at DC Entertainment. Johns made the best of the short time we had, in spite of poor cell connection on my end. We discussed the past, present, and future of 3 of his titles within DC Comics’ new universe. Want to know what’s coming up next in Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Justice League? Then keep reading.

We kick it all off with the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect, a fast and hassle free way to watch your favorite online shows on your high definition television. Special thanks go out to 12 Days of Geekmas 2011 sponsor Philips for this one.

Also included in today’s giveaway are a copy of Book Creator for iPad from Red Jumper Studios, a custom kid-size super hero cape from Power Capes, a positively enormous prize pack (featuring four shirts, four posters and two beanies of our winner’s choosing) from the crew at 604 Republic, a Kre-O Transformers set from Hasbro, a “Blazing Sword” Voltron action figure, a Green Lantern Hallmark keepsake ornament and a bonus $10 off $30 coupon code from our friends at ThinkGeek.

Check out today’s GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to learn how the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect has helped free my family from the laptop, and to hear Marc with a C‘s epic Christmas mash-up “Stairway to Rudolph.” Then toss your name into the hat by inputting the relevant information into the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight for your chance to win.

With the Green Lantern movie currently in theaters, it just makes sense to work on “Ring Capacity” by Kirby Krackle this week. The band has lots of great songs about comic book characters and video games, so be sure to check them out here.

Booster Gold looks confused. So are a lot of long time DC comics readers concerning the new DC Universe first announced by Dan Didio in USA Today.

If only current readers were at stake, I wouldn’t be so concerned. DC Comics obviously can’t grow by staying with the same core group of readers who make titles that sell 30,000 copies a month a success. They need new blood.

Unfortunately, new readers may be confused as well, despite the so-called reboot and the shiny new #1 issues of 52 titles. For those keeping track, here’s the full list of the 52 #1 issues being released in September. Oddly, the books that I believe will appeal to new readers the most are titles that could have existed without rebooting or half-rebooting the universe.

That first interview by Didio in USA Today seemed to indicate that DC’s superheroes are getting a completely fresh start. But subsequent interviews indicated this isn’t the case at all. So this seems less of a fresh new start — as supposedly signaled by making every issue a number one — than a mishmash of old and new elements.

In an interview at Newsarama, DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras and Executive Editor Eddie Berganza said that many previous stories are still in continuity, which in non-comics speak means that they have already happened to these characters who are getting a fresh start. Then there was this report at BleedingCool which stated that while some characters are in, others are out.

For instance, I would hope that DC would try to appeal to new readers by promoting the most famous versions of heroes to non-comics readers. And they are doing that in the case of Batgirl(now Barbara Gordon) but not in two of their big franchises, Batman and Green Lantern.

My children only love one Green Lantern: John Stewart, from the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited TV shows. Alas, he hasn’t had a solo title in decades. Though he is in one of the Lantern books, there’s a whole ton of other Green Lanterns being featured as well, with Hal Jordan at the top of the pyramid. Perhaps this to capitalize on the new Green Lanternmovie starring the Hal Jordan Lantern but I’m not sure that one lackluster Hollywood movie is going to attract more readers than a long-running and successful television show.

Green Lantern, directed by Martin Campbell, opened in movie theaters across the nation Friday.

1. What’s it about?
A cocky test pilot is chosen to join the Green Lantern Corps, the defenders of truth and justice in the galaxy. As he learns to accept his fate and fight his inner fears, he finds strength in himself that he never knew existed. He harnesses his inner strength and overcomes the evil that threatens the Earth.

2. Will my kids like it?
Your kids will love this movie. It’s a comic book come to life, with plenty of good guy vs. bad guy action, a fighter jet vs. drone battle and cool explosions to keep their interest. Plus, Green Lantern is übercool, right up there with Marvel’s Silver Surfer character.

3. Will I like it?
There are some issues I had with the character development of Hal Jordan, the protagonist hero, which should have been the strongest. Hector Hammond, the biology teacher, was the strongest character in the movie. And, yes, the script’s handling of heroic and comic moments was imbalanced and flat at times. But, if you are a comic book fan, you can’t help but love this DC classic on the big screen.

4. Is it scary?
There are some moments in the film that might be scary for younger kids, when Hammond’s head blows up after contracting an alien virus, and when the evil Parallax attacks earth, sucking out the life force of people (he resembles a black, cloudy version of the Flying Spaghetti Monster).

5. Why is it rated PG-13?
There are some parts with good-guy vs. bad-guy violence. There are action parts with cartoon weapon violence in Green Lantern’s fight against Parallax, and some parts (a bar scene and a party scene) with some mild drinking.

Did I take advantage of this offer, or was I the one taken advantage of? Let’s analyze my last purchase together and I’ll find out right alongside you. Can you guess which one I’m hoping for?

The Offer: Buy two specially marked movies at FYE, and receive a card good for eight dollars off one admission to see Green Lantern at participating theaters.

The Selection: There were many DC-themed movies and animated films to choose from, ranging from good to bad to ugly. Yeah, you know the ones I mean. Here’s the main ones I recall:

Green Lantern: First Flight

Superman: Doomsday

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

New Frontier

Wonder Woman

Superman II: The Donner Cut

Batman: Gotham Knights

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Catwoman

Watchmen: The Black Freighter

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

All Star Superman

Supergirl: The Movie

Batman & Robin

Batman Forever

JLA: Crisis on Two Worlds

Superman/Shazam

V for Vendetta

300

Applesauce … something or other…

And a few others were there, as well. All in all, it was a pretty good assortment if you didn’t already own them. Plus, you could always grab something for a gift.

The Discrepancies: Two-disc sets and singles were priced the same; moreover, some copies of the exact same movie had price tags, differing by as much as $5. Of course, this has always been the case with FYE, that’s why you have to look over each individual case.

The Purchase: I ended up with Secret Origin, All Star Superman, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. I chose the Batman titles, because I already owned most of the others, and these were some of the cheaper titles I could get away with. My son should like them … They’re colorful.

The Extras: They were nice enough to allow me to use a separate transaction to pick two other DVDs and acquire a second card for my wife. Note: I assume this is something they’ll all do, but don’t be surprised if they stick to the one ticket/one patron rule. Another extra: I didn’t already have an FYE membership card, so I signed up and saved an additional six bucks.

The Pros: I received a ticket plus a couple of cool movies. I think that Secret Origins will be pretty informative and entertaining to boot. Not too mention the variety of titles to choose from.

The Cons: In last year’s Black Friday blitz, I was able to pick up three or four animated DC movies at Wal-Mart for under two dollars each. If I were a gambling man, I’d bet they’ll have those same movies and perhaps some newer ones this November. However, that would require you to wait another five months to purchase them. And, you wouldn’t receive the Green Lantern “free” pass. Of course, it won’t be a completely free ticket for me, as I’ll still have to pay a dollar, or more, per ticket.

The Conclusion: Did I come out a winner? Yes, because come blackest night or brightest day, I’m going to see Green Lantern, regardless; and this way, I got to get a little something extra along the way.

The Disclaimer: Be sure to check out FYE.com or your local FYE store for full details.

This little gem just popped up in my feeds, courtesy of design blog Abduzeedo.

NextMovie.com has commissioned Old Red Jalopy to recreate this summer’s blockbuster movie posters in their distinctive vector-based illustration style. The X-Men (above) Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow, Thor, Captain America, Optimus Prime, Green Lantern and The Avengers are all featured, as well as Cowboys vs. Aliens and some other non-comic book related ones too. NextMovie wanted a way to follow up their successful series for the 2011 Best Picture Oscar nominations series, so they went right back to same people who created them.

Old Red Jalopy have a load more posters in a similar style, if not all in Lego, on their site, featuring TV and Movie classics and you can buy prints of some of them too. Just tell them GeekDad sent ya!

And if you want to compare the Lego versions to the originals, check out the post on Abduzeedo.com.